Badass II
by HBCarolyn
Summary: Maura is a cyborg with feelings for Jane and those feelings are returned. But computer glitches are plaguing Maura's class of robot and she is recalled to the lab with no foreseeable future. Jane is determine to save her cyborg. Will she be successful?
1. Chapter 1

Badass II

Dr. Laura Ross frowned at her computer screen. This can't be right, she thought. Watching the screen closely as the results scrolled past she was too distracted to pay attention when Sam walked into the lab.

"Hi, Laura, how are you?" he asked.

"Hi," she responded in a distracted tone.

"Looks like Mars is crashing to earth tonight," he remarked offhandedly, trying to jolt Laura back to the present.

"That's nice," she said. Sam waited a moment then Laura looked up at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Welcome to earth," he said, smiling.

"I am trying to solve a real problem Sam; I don't have time for your jokes." Or anything else, Sam thought.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm looking at the results for some of the Tryon II class robots. Their circuitry is burning out at odd times. They should be lasting a lot longer than this."

"A little planned obsolescence maybe?" Sam asked cautiously. Laura shook her head vigorously.

"Not from my lab. I guaranteed these robots to last in their mission for a minimum of ten years. I don't understand this."

"Wait, isn't that the same class of robot purchased by some of the police departments?"

"Yes, the closest one is Boston PD. Their chief medical examiner is a Tryon II class robot."

"Have they had any problems?" Sam asked.

"Not to my knowledge but I'll call Lt. Cavanaugh and ask about her performance."

Sam watched Laura a moment longer. "What will you do if the data is correct?"

"I'll have to recall the robots and destroy them." Sam started to object then thought better of saying anything. This was Laura's primary project and mission over the past several years and he didn't have any right to say anything.

Jane paced up and down, waiting for Maura to finish dressing. "Maura, come on! We'll miss the movie if you don't get a move on!"

"I'm hurrying, Jane. You don't want me to look funny do you?"

"Maura the movie plays in the dark. You can walk in with two heads and no one will notice." Jane called back. Especially if we don't get there until the lights have gone down.

Maura stood in front of the mirror, puzzled as to why she was moving so slowly. Normally she had plenty of energy in the evenings especially since she added a recharge to her main battery in the late afternoons if she wasn't on a crime scene or doing an autopsy. Today was slow- Maura spent the day cleaning up files so when she returned from her lunch date with Jane she plugged in her charger and felt the familiar jolt when her battery completely charged.

But now she frowned. Her charge was still almost complete and she was sluggish, almost lifeless. If she didn't finish dressing soon she might as well just go to bed for the night and let Jane go to the movie alone.

No, she resolved, she wouldn't do that. They had a string of cases recently that kept them so busy they didn't have any alone time, or time to be a couple. When Jane mentioned a movie tonight Maura was excited at the thought of having a date night with her gorgeous detective. Maura didn't want to disappoint Jane-or herself.

Taking a deep breath she sat on the side of the bed to put on her pants. One leg slid right in but her foot caught in the other pant leg and Maura struggled a bit. She leaned forward to free her foot and felt a jolt of electricity run through her chest.

ZZZ, Maura's chest sizzled and she was instantly dizzy. "Jane!" she yelled frantically. Maura smelled an electrical smell and knew she was on fire.

"Maura!" Jane froze in the doorway, horrified at the sight in front of her. Maura sat on the side of the bed, flames shooting from her chest.

"Baking soda!" Maura yelled. She was losing energy and it took all her might to remain sitting. She didn't want to spread the fire by falling in the floor.

Jane ran back with the large container of baking soda in the kitchen. She threw it on Maura's chest. Grabbing the comforter Maura was on she wrapped her in it, smothering the fire as best she could.

Maura lay back, dazed. The air smelled like a combination of singed hair, torched wiring and fried flesh. Something's definitely wrong, she thought before the room faded and she lost consciousness.

Jane grabbed her phone and called for an ambulance. Switching to professional mode she tried to recall the last few days when Maura seemed to be too sluggish to complete the most menial of tasks. What could be wrong? She wondered. Jane tried to keep the panic out of her voice and remain professional. When she heard footsteps pounding up the stairs she threw open the front door and the paramedic team rushed in.

The first paramedic opened the toolbox and made contact with the local hospital. "Female, early to mid thirties, burns to chest…" his voice faded off as he pulled the comforter off Maura's body.

"She has wires coming out of her chest." He stated flatly. He didn't understand what Maura could have been doing, to have electrical wiring melting on her chest.

"Halloween costume?" the nurse at the hospital inquired.

"Huh?" was the paramedic's response.

"Is she wearing a Halloween costume?" the nurse spoke patiently.

"I don't think so. She's wearing a top and jeans but she has wires coming from her chest." The first paramedic didn't know what else to say. His crew chief knelt beside him.

"Nurse I think this is a Tryon II robot issued to the Boston PD. Am I right?" he asked, looking up at Jane for confirmation. "We'll transport her to the Institute for treatment." The crew chief signed off on the call and looked at his coworker.

"Dr. Isles is a Tryon II robot working as chief medical examiner for Boston PD. The Institute contacted Lt. Cavanaugh to give him a heads-up on a computer glitch they're having. He uploaded her file so if something like this happened we'd know how to handle it."

"Thank goodness you have an answer," Jane sighed with relief. "So the Institute is aware of this and she just needs to be reprogrammed?"

"I don't know, Detective. The information was just given earlier today. Good thing, too, or we might have thought Dr. Isles had gone up in smoke."

Maura was strapped to a gurney and Jane accompanied the EMT staff to the van. "I'll follow you in my car," she indicated and started up her vehicle. Jane programmed the Institute's address into her GPS and waited for the ambulance to leave.

"Damn it," Laura muttered under her breath. She'd been sleeping on the sofa in her office, only to be awakened by the notification call of Maura's impending arrival. Despite her phone call to the lieutenant earlier today she had high hopes of Maura making it through the glitches and surviving to her ten year anniversary as Boston's Chief Medical Examiner. Quickly Laura ran through all of the data she acquired over these past weeks.

Maura will be the first to go, Laura thought grimly. I'll have to destroy her in order to find out how to help the others.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Badass II

Oops, mea culpa. I forgot something rather big when I posted the first chapter. These characters do not belong to me and my kingdom maketh no profit from them. I only take them out to play; I promise I'll return them in good shape-maybe.

Chapter Two

Jane strode confidently into The Institute's main foyer and made herself comfortable. She overheard the paramedics' conversation with the hospital and knew Maura was in good hands. Rifling through the magazines she settled in with the latest issue of Sports Illustrated to wait for Maura.

A couple of minutes later the waiting room door opened. "Detective?" Dr. Ross asked. "I have Maura in the back, why don't you come in?"

Just like a regular doctor's office, Jane mused as she followed Dr. Ross down a long corridor. Instead of an exam room, however, Dr. Ross led Jane into her own office.

"Have a seat, Detective," Dr. Ross gestured to the chair across from her desk. Jane settled herself in.

"How is Maura?"

"She's quite the topic of conversation in the lab, Detective Rizzoli."

"I'll bet she is," Jane grinned. "Maura is quite the person." Dr. Ross frowned upon hearing Jane refer to Maura as a person.

"I have no good way to say this so I'll come right out with it. We have to destroy Maura. My lab techs are getting ready to take her apart right now. There is no need for you to wait-"

Jane jumped to her feet, horrified. "Destroy her! No! I love her!" Jane ran for the office door and headed down the hallway. She ran from side to side, opening doors.

"Maura! Where are you!" she yelled. Jane felt frustrated, not knowing more about the interior of the Institute and where exactly, Dr. Ross' lab might be located.

I'll find you, Maura, and take you home with me, Jane thought as she gritted her teeth in determination. Dr. Ross is _not_ going to destroy you.

Jane saw a door open at the far end of the hallway and heard laughter coming from it. She sprinted to the end and grabbed the door before it could completely close.

Glancing around quickly she noticed it was a sterile room of some sort. I have to be close, she thought, then her attention zeroed in on a group of people standing around a table. Pushing her way through she saw Maura lying still, her eyes closed.

"Maura!" Jane said sharply. One of the techs whirled around.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here," he said.

"Dr. Ross gave me permission to say goodbye," Jane said. Her voice choked on the word "goodbye." The tech nodded, backing away. He turned to his coworkers.

"Dr Ross mentioned this might happen," he reminded them. "Let's give them some privacy." The techs left the room.

Maura's eyes fluttered open. Instead of their usual intelligence shining through Jane saw a haze settle over Maura's eyes. The doctor looked confused. She opened her mouth to speak.

"JJJJaaaannnnneeee?" she asked, her speech sluggish. Jane knew the work was up to her. Fortunately the techs had only started removing Maura's clothing. Jane quickly buttoned Maura's blouse shut and pulled a wheelchair over to the table.

"We're leaving," she said, pulling Maura into a sitting position. Maura's eyes fluttered open and shut, much like a doll's eyes.

"IIIIII nnnnneeedddd" Maura managed to say before slumping forward. Jane scooped her up and placed Maura in the wheelchair. Placing her hand on Maura's shoulder to keep her sitting as upright as possible Jane noticed a back door. She headed there instead of the main hallway.

Perfect, Jane thought as she noticed it was a back door to the parking lot. She pushed the wheelchair forward as she heard voices getting closer to the room.

"She said she wanted to say goodbye," Jane overheard the tech telling someone as the main door opened. Jane shut the back door firmly behind her as she sprinted with the wheelchair toward her car.

Jane pushed Maura onto the passenger seat, buckled her in and shoved the wheelchair out of the way. Starting the car she pulled out of the parking lot as if answering an emergency call minus the siren. Reaching over she grabbed Maura's hand and squeezed it. It was cold and dead feeling. Jane's heart lurched in here throat.

"Hang in there, Maura, we're getting you some help," Jane said as she flew down the street and made a hard right turn. Jane's mind whirled.

Help from who? Frost! Jane thought and headed toward his apartment. Keeping hold of Maura's hand Jane worried.

"How long can you go without oxygen?" she asked Maura but Maura was non-responsive.

"Given that you have wires instead of lungs, I guess for awhile, huh?" Jane spoke her thoughts out loud. "I guess it's different when you're a robot. I don't know how they managed to make you so lifelike, Maura, but I swear I'm going to do everything I can. I will not lose you," Jane's tone of voice turned fierce and she choked back tears. I can't lose her, she thought desperately. Maura means everything to me.

Screeching to a stop in Frost's driveway Jane threw open her car door and went around to retrieve Maura.

Detective Barry Frost sat back on his sofa, swirling the wine in his glass like Maura taught him to do. Tonight was a dry run for his date with Samantha, the new lab tech in Maura's office. Tall and blond she smiled at Barry every time he asked her questions about lab procedures. He began noticing she smiled at him more than any other man in the precinct. Emboldened by this he asked her out on a date. He wanted everything to be perfect so he consulted Maura about wines and how to tell if it was a good one.

As he drank Barry surveyed his living room. It was immaculate due to the extra cleaning he paid his housekeeper to do that day. Several books and police insider magazines were strategically placed on the coffee table. His action figures had been removed to the closet in the spare bedroom. He wanted to project himself as a more intelligent person than he thought his coworkers believed him to be. Detective Barry Frost wanted Samantha Walker to think he was something more than a pretty boy at the precinct.

Suddenly Barry heard a car door slam in his driveway and heavy steps coming to his front door. He heard Jane pound on the door and call his name.

Frost opened the door to find Jane carrying Maura in her arms. "Help," Jane managed to say. Frost opened the door and helped Jane place Maura on his sofa.

"What's wrong?"

"She's having trouble, Frost. She needs to be booted or something."

"A reboot, Jane? She needs to go to the Institute for that."

"No!" Jane almost screamed. "That's where we came from. They wanted to destroy her, Frost."

"Dr. Ross said that?" Frost was surprised. What could have happened to Maura's circuitry to make Dr. Ross need to take apart her best creation?

"Yes. She sat me down in her office to tell me her lab techs were about to take Maura apart. I ran out the back door with her. Help us, Frost, I don't know what a robot needs."

"Cyborg," Frost corrected almost absentmindedly. He watched Maura lie limply on his sofa, no sound coming from her.

"I don't know, Jane. I can try, but I'm not sure I can do this."

"Can't you hack into their computer or something?"

"You're asking me to hack into a federally subsidized program at a highly regarded scientific institute?" Frost asked.

"Yes." Frost sighed.

"I'll try, Jane. I don't know how successful I'll be, but I'll try."

"Thanks, Frost. Where do you want her?"

"Leave her be for now. Let me see what I can find on the internet. Oh, call Frankie for me, will you? Ask him to bring his toolbox. He usually keeps odds and ends in it he might have what we need."

"I can't lose her, Frost."

"I know, Jane, but I may not be able to help. Dr. Ross might be right this time."

Jane collapsed on the end of the sofa, tears streaming down her face.

"No, Frost," was all she managed to say.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Badass II Chapter 3

Frost frowned as he stared at his computer screen. The Institute had so many firewalls it was going to be almost impossible to hack into their system and get Maura the help she needed. Behind his chair Jane paced worriedly.

"Come on, Frost, help her. It's been almost two hours now," Jane pleaded. Frost shook his head in frustration.

"Jane, I'm trying. If I knew what to do myself I could find other websites and apply their technology, but with Maura being a cyborg I'm at a complete loss."

Frankie stood and watched over Maura, who was lying inert on the sofa. She hadn't moved since Jane placed her there. Frankie was just as worried. If Frost couldn't help her he knew Maura was doomed to be returned to The Institute and Jane might lose Maura forever. He didn't want to see that happen. Jane was the happiest she'd been in years and it was all due to Maura. And Frankie loved Maura also. She was another sister to love and protect. Frankie reached down and took Maura's hand. As he did so her eyelids fluttered.

"Boop, beep, beep," she said then stopped.

"Jane, Frost! Maura spoke!" Frankie called into the other room. Jane and Frost came running into the living room.

"What did she say?" Jane asked excitedly.

"She made some sounds," Frankie said. "She beeped a couple of times."

"Oh," Frost said, his shoulders slumping. He turned to go back to his computer. Jane grabbed his arm.

"No wait, Frost that may be a good thing. Maura, repeat please," she commanded and Maura's eyes opened halfway.

"Boop, beep, beep," she said then stopped.

"Just like that, Frankie?" Frankie nodded his head.

"Yes, like that, Jane, in the same order and everything."

"Could that be Morse code, Frost?"

"I suppose, Jane, but why Morse code?"

"Maybe Maura is hardwired to default to Morse code in times like these?"

"I guess."

"When Maura and I were going underwater when we investigated the fracking case Maura was semi-conscious because of the infection from her leg. She started making beeping noises and it turned out she was sending Morse code signals for mayday."

"Three beeps are not enough, Jane."

"Maura, continue," Jane commanded. Maura's eyes fluttered open. Her voice sounded so weak Jane and Frost bent over her to hear better.

"Boop, beep, beep, beeeeeppppp-" came out of the medical examiner before she stopped.

"Let me run it and see what happens," Frost said. Jane sat down next to Maura and took her hand.

"I love you for trying to help us help you," she said softly to Maura. Frankie wandered off to give Jane some private time with Maura.

"Jane!" Frost shouted. Jane ran into the other room.

"She's trying to give us the code to get into The Institute's computer system. And here we are!" Frost shouted. Quickly he scanned the files until he found the one for Maura.

"I need to open her chest," he said to Jane.

"I'll open it," Jane said protectively. Frankie looked from one to the other.

"Guys, do I need to be here for this? Maura needs her privacy."

"She's wired in her chest, Frankie you're not going to see much," Frost said.

"Yeah, he will, Frost. She is anatomically correct you know."

"No, I didn't, Jane. I can't say I've thought about that."

` "Where did you think her cleavage came from?" Jane asked. Frost started to say something then shut his mouth.

"I never wondered. Knowing Maura is a cyborg I guess I thought she was like Barbie." Jane sighed.

"She isn't. So yeah, Frankie, you can leave if you like. What do you need to see, Frost?"

"Her wiring, specifically the blue, red and green ones. They may have gotten crossed when she melted down."

"Okay." Carefully Jane opened Maura's blouse and bra, tucking the sweater off to the side while she accessed the small control panel in the center of Maura's chest. Jane concentrated on keeping Maura covered while Frost looked into the panel and found the wires he wanted.

"Yeah, she melted down almost completely. I need a new set of wiring but I think Frankie had some in his tool chest." Frost came back a couple of minutes later with a set of wires dangling in his hand.

"Let's try this," he said and grabbed a small screwdriver. Without disturbing any other connections Frost took out the damaged wires and replaced them. Plugging Maura into his computer he started a file upload.

"Do you know when Maura was last backed up?" he asked.

"What? Oh you mean a computer type back up," Jane answered, trying to get the image of Maura being backed up against the wall the other evening when they returned from dinner and didn't make it into the bedroom.  
"Never mind her file's dated correctly. She may not have lost much," Frost said. The file upload complete Maura rebooted. Slowly she sat up and looked at Jane.

"Are you my mother?" she asked. Jane shook her head while Frost stared.

"She does that when she reboots," Jane explained. Maura settled back against the sofa and looked from Jane to Frost. Suddenly she looked down at her sweater and noticed it was unbuttoned.

"Oh did we have sex?" she asked. Frost blushed.

"No, Maura, Frost fixed your chest."

"What was wrong with it?"

"No I mean he fixed your meltdown and rebooted you," Jane tried to explain. Frost put up his hands.

"Ladies I don't need to hear this. If you don't mind I'm going back into the computer."

"Yeah, thanks, Frost for all of your help. We'll get out of your way now."

"She should be good Jane. If Maura's battery backup seems low plug her into a socket when she goes to sleep."

"Yeah that's what I do with all my dates," Jane muttered. She took Maura by the hand and helped her off the sofa.

"I feel a little woozy," Maura said, leaning on Jane.

"I'm taking you home Maura and you can rest there. Your system is a little rundown."

"Dr. Laura can take care of me, Jane, if you need to drop me off at the Institute."

"No, Maura, she can't. She wants to dismantle you."

"Is that bad?" Maura asked.

"Yes, it is, Maura. It means you go away forever."

"Mustn't do that. Have important work to do." Maura sagged against Jane a little and Jane carried her to the car. Buckling her seatbelt she leaned in for a quick kiss.

"I can't lose you, Maura, you mean too much to me," Jane whispered. "I brought you to Frost because he's a computer expert."

"I understand," Maura said. She dipped her head down to her chest as if deep in thought. "I must stay away from Dr. Laura and the Institute."

"Yes, for the time being at least. We need to make sure you're protected." Jane slid into the driver's seat and looked at Maura before starting the engine.

"I hope Frost can keep taking care of you, Maura." Jane headed home, knowing her luck held that night. But could Frost keep Maura working properly in the future?

TBC

I am terribly sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter. I have been working on future chapters and the storyline, to keep it fresh and not accidentally duplicate from the original "Badass" story.


	4. Chapter 4

Badass II Chapter 4

Dr. Laura frowned as she continued to watch numbers scroll across the screen. This was not good. All of the Class IV cyborgs were failing in large numbers and she didn't know why. She looked up when she heard the door open. Sam greeted her with a smile.

"How's my favorite sister?" he asked.

"Your only sister," Laura answered absentmindedly, continuing to watch the monitor.

"Okay, sis, leave the electronics alone. How are you?"

"Frustrated. The cyborgs are failing." Sam recoiled in mock horror.

"No! My brilliant sister has failed cyborgs on her hands?"

"Hush. The problem is, I can't figure out why. It's like their circuits are suddenly fried."

"Bad wiring?"

"No. We checked the wiring and it's good. They're melting down but we can't figure out why."

"What do you do for something like this?"

"Issue a recall," Laura said, looking up at her brother with certainty. She knew this was the right course of action. "We break them down, study their parts, then start again with the next class."

"Do you keep any of the personalities they have?"

"Oh no. When we recall a cyborg, Sammy dear, it's as if someone has died. They cease to exist altogether. When rebuilt they are completely new."

"This doesn't cause a problem, Laura?" Sammy asked. Laura looked at him in confusion.

"Why should it? It isn't as if they've developed any strong emotional ties." Laura went back to frowning at the monitor. She reached for her phone. Sam watched her a moment longer then walked to the door.

"Bye sister dear. Have a good day," Sammy waved to Laura. She waved back at him.

"I need to call Lt. Cavanaugh. Maura needs to be brought in," Laura muttered to herself.

Jane woke up, frustrated by her lack of sleep and continued worry over Maura's future. She noticed the battery flashed green on Maura's chest indicating the medical examiner had been fully charged and unplugged Maura from the electrical outlet. Maura's eyes blinked and slowly came into focus.

"Good morning, Jane, how did you sleep?"

"Not good, Maura. How are you?"

"Wonderful," Maura replied in a husky voice and rolled over to slip her arm over Jane's body.

"Want to play kitten?" Maura asked seductively.

Jane threw the blankets off of her and swung her legs out of bed. "No, Maura, 'kitten' does not wish to play," she said and went into the bathroom. "At least one of us is fully charged and ready to go," she muttered under her breath as she turned on the shower.

Lt. Cavanaugh cleared paperwork off his desk, piling old case files in a corner to be archived. Closed cases required his final signature to indicate the suspect caught and convicted and that Boston PD completed all assignments correctly. His phone buzzed and he noted the caller's name in surprise.

"Good morning, Dr. Ross, what can I do for you?" he greeted the caller by name.

"Unfortunately Lieutenant I need to ask you to bring Dr. Isles into the Institute."

"Is anything wrong?" he asked.

"Yes I'm sorry to say Maura's class of cyborgs are failing across the board. We need to recall them."

"Failing how? We haven't had any problems with Dr. Isles."

"All Class IV cyborgs are experiencing computer failures and complete hardware meltdowns. Since Maura is your chief medical examiner I thought I'd contact you first. I don't want our mistake to cost you any convictions because she didn't do her job correctly."

"That is a major concern of mine, Dr. Ross. Dr. Isles isn't in yet so I'll give her a call and ask her to go directly to the Institute instead of our morgue."

"Thank you, Lt. Cavanaugh. I hated to have to give you this news. Right now we're trying to isolate the problem. When we do I'll let you know and we can replace Dr. Isles."

Jane walked into the bedroom, reached over and lightly swatted Maura's butt. "Shower's ready for you, let's get moving," she said. Maura rolled over and winked at Jane.

"A few more of those and we could be enjoying ourselves today," she said seductively.

"We have work to do, Maura. I have a couple of interviews for some cold cases scheduled today and you have a small backlog of autopsies to get through."

Maura pouted a moment, flounced out of bed and into the bathroom. Jane dressed quickly. She wanted a large cup of coffee before they left.

Maura's cell phone buzzed. Jane picked it up off the nightstand and glanced at the caller ID. Surprised, she answered.

"Rizzoli. Good morning, Lt."

"Oh hi Jane. I'm calling Maura to let her know she needs to report to the Institute this morning instead of coming in." Jane felt panic growing in her chest.

"She has a large backlog of autopsies to complete, Lieutenant, since she was sick yesterday afternoon."

"I called in Dr. Pike for her replacement. Dr. Ross thinks there's a problem and wants to check Maura's wiring."

Jane struggled to find a reason to deny the request. "But sir, Maura is assisting me on a couple of cold cases."

"No buts, Rizzoli, we can't have the chief medical examiner for Boston catching fire while out in the field. Dr. Ross is waiting for her." Cavanaugh clicked off the call and Jane felt a full panic attack coming on. She knew she couldn't let Maura go to the Institute-not without some guarantee from Laura Ross that Maura wouldn't be completely dismantled.

Jane scrolled through her contact list, looking for Dr. Ross' direct line when her cell rang.

"Rizzoli," she said and listened. "Okay be right there, Frost. I'll bring Maura with me."

Great, Jane thought, a new case. I don't have time to take Maura to the Institute. Maybe Frost, Korsak and I can think of some way to save Maura. At least this gives us some time.

Jane stepped over to the bathroom door and knocked. "Let's go, Maura, we have a case!" she called out.

Maura opened the door. "I'll be right with you, Jane. I just need to put on my face and do my hair."

Jane groaned. Maura's grooming habits could take awhile she knew. Jane went into the kitchen and poured herself a large cup of coffee and texted Frost they'd be there soon. Putting her phone down she concentrated on finding a way out of turning Maura in to the Institute without a guarantee she'd get the same Maura back.

Thirty-five minutes later Jane pulled up to the crime scene. Maura exited the passenger seat and strode over to the body. Frost looked at Jane with a stern look until Jane put her hand up.

"I got her out of the house as soon as I could, Frost."

"No Jane, that's not it." Frost started to continue the conversation but they heard an argument start up.

"I am the chief examiner, Dr. Pike. This is my crime scene. You are not needed here." Maura's strong voice reached Jane's ears.

"I should have been the chief examiner, Dr. Isles, but I was overlooked because I am a white male. I have superior skills." Frost rolled his eyes.

"Dr. Pike you are incompetent in your skills. As your supervisor I am ordering you back to the morgue." Jane and Frost ran over to the two battling doctors. As she reached Maura's side Jane put her arm on Maura's, cautioning her to calm down. Jane noticed Maura's arm was hot to the touch.

"Frost, take Maura over to my car will you please?" Jane asked. Frost reached out to Maura and pulled his hand back quickly.

"She's a little overheated," he said in a low voice. Jane nodded.

"Come on, Dr. Isles, let's get you some water and you can calm down," Frost said. He guided Maura away from the crime scene as gently as possible.

"Of all the nerve, Frost, he's insinuating I can't do my job!" Maura yelled.

"Not if you're on fire," Frost muttered.

"We know he's wrong, Dr. Isles, but you need to calm down."

"I am a little flustered," Maura said. "Goodness my temperature must be over a hundred degrees." Maura put her hand to her forehead.

"I think you're a little hotter than that," Frost said. "Have some water." Without warning he threw a bottle of water in Maura's face. Steam rose over her head. He did it again and noticed a smaller amount of steam rising from the top of her head. Touching her arm again he noticed Maura's body temperature must be cooling. She was no longer hot to the touch.

Jane couldn't concentrate on the crime scene. She kept glancing back at Maura. What could she do? The love of her life might be leaving her and Jane felt helpless to stop the situation. If Maura's circuitry was overheating from a small argument with Dr. Pike, what would happen if they were in a more dangerous situation?

Korsak looked up from his notes to say something to Jane and saw Jane's preoccupation with Maura.

"Jane, go take care of Maura. Frost and I can take care of this. We'll fill you in later."

Jane nodded and walked over to her car. With every step she took she felt she was sealing Maura's fate and their future. She had to take Maura back to the Institute.

TBC


End file.
